ADMINISTRATIVE CORE Abstract The Administrative Core will provide managerial and organizational support related to the proposed Program Project and will be based in the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Maryland (UMD) College Park campus. The Administrative Core leader, Dr. Pal, will provide scientific leadership, facilitate communication among all members of the P01 as well as dissemination with the broader scientific community, manage the financial resources and assure best practices and appropriate compliance with Federal regulations, facilitate evaluation and progress reports. Organizationally, this Program Project is led by three PIs, Dr. Pal along with Drs. Pedra and Fikrig, who made contributions to the current state of knowledge in tick biology and immunity. Together the team assembled an outstanding Executive Committee, consisting of all three PIs and the Core Leader, Dr. Munderloh, all nationally and internationally recognized experts in tick biology and immunity. The Executive Committee shall provide overall scientific guidance and lead future directions for the Program Project based on constant exchange of data and information. To ensure continued success of this Program Project, the Administrative Core will rely on the annual recommendations made by an external Scientific Advisory Board. The specific aims of the Administrative Core are as follow: 1) Provide Scientific Leadership and Overall Vision; 2) Manage Fiscal and Other Resources; 3) Facilitate Communication and Dissemination; 4) Enable Evaluation and Annual Progress Report. The expected role of the Administrative Core is to facilitate interactions and perpetuate cohesiveness between the three projects and the scientific core to improve our understanding of tick biology, immunity, and interaction with pathogens. Overall, the Administrative Core will facilitate the dissemination of research outcomes and support outreach to scientific communities and the broader public.